The 2015 NACHC CHI is Underway in Orlando!

The 2015 NACHC Community Health Institute with The Honorable Lowell Weicker

The sun may be sweltering in Orlando but the mood inside at the NACHC Community Health Institute is upbeat and excited. Thousands of health center advocates have arrived to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Community Health Center Movement, and to prepare for the next 50 years with a host of education sessions and presenters. The Honorable Lowell Weicker, who served in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as Governor of Connecticut, was among those addressing the gathering at the General Session. Weicker, a fierce champion of health centers during the 1980s when the White House attempted to eliminate their funding, commended health centers for their work in “serving the overlooked for 50 years.” The political veteran also provided attendees with an assessment of the current state of affairs in Washington and underscored the critical need for health center advocates to continue to meet with their representatives on Capitol Hill and press their case because “we have so much left to do in health.”

Attendees also heard from the newly elected NACHC Board Chair Ricardo Guzman, CEO of Community Health and Social Services Center (CHASS), in Detroit, MI, who urged attendees to “seize the moment and make history now for another 50 years.” Guzman also outlined several goals for health centers to pursue in the future, including, proving their value in communities. “It falls on us to prove our value,” Guzman said. “Value is simple in concept… we must turn data into performance measures.”

Other speakers at the NACHC CHI General Sessions have included U.S. Rep. Danny Davis (D-Il), a longtime heath center champion. Also, Farzad Mostashari, MD, Co-Founder and CEO of Aledade, Inc., and former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the Department of Health and Human Services, engaged attendees with an address, entitled, “Health Centers Going From Good to Great — Operating A 21st Century Movement.”

Stay tuned to this blog for more developments about the 2015 NACHC CHI. #2015chi